Hand-controlled vacuum-cleaner.



H. SMALL.

HAND CONTROLLED VACUUM CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED APR.19. 1915.

Patented July 17, 1917.

HOWARD SMALL, WYN COTE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY

MESNE essiemvinnrs,

TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

. HAND-CONTROLLED VACUUM-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1917..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD SMALL, of WVyncote, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements inHand- Controlled Vacuum-Cleaners, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates -to light portable vacuum cleaners for household use, and more particularly to an electric cleaner of this type which is supported entirely at one end upon-the cleaning tool or renovator and at the other end by the hand of the operator.

By making the partsof such a cleaner in the shape and with the relationship which I shall describe, and by swiveling the renovator at its point of attachment near the.

lower end of the apparatus, I am able to construct a cleaner of the class described, which is capable of being introduced and performing its work beneath 'a compara tively low piece of furniture, such as a bedstead or bureau, in a way which has not been possible with other cleaners of this class.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown '-in Figure 1,-a perspective view of a cleaner embodying my invention.

'Fig. 2, is a longitudinal sectional view of the cleaner.

The cleaner comprises a handle l, a shaft 2, of appropriate length, which may also conveniently serve to lnclose the cable connections by which thecurrent is supplied tothe electric motor 12 which is contained within the casing 3, in alinement with the shaft. serve as fan casing 4, within which is arranged fan 18, mounted upon shaft 14, of the motor. Below this is a permeable dust bag 5, which communicates with casing 4, through openings 15.

The inlet pipe 6, leads from the lower end of the cleaner preferably through the dust bag to the casing 4, where the suction is applied. The cleaner tool 'or'renovator 7, is of the usual slotted type, and is attachedto the lower end of the inlet pipe 6, by a swivel joint 8, by which the suction is not interfered with, but which permits the renovator 7, to turn freely upon the lower end of the inlet pipe 6.

The lnlet pipe near its lower end is bent Attached to this are parts whichto form a curved neck as at 10. This permits the cleaning tool to be inserted at least for a short distance beneath a low article of furniture, without lowering the handle. The swivel joint which I have described, however, makes it possible when it is desired to clean still further under a large piece of furniture, such as a bedstead, to turn the handle and shaft sidewise in relation to the cleaning tool by rotation on the swivel, and after lowering the handle pass the tool any desired distance beneath the furniture.

The presence of the swivel joint makes it necessary to make a novel disposition of the weight of the heavier parts of the cleaner, and according to my invention, I have so constructed the curvature of neck 10, and proportioned the length of the shaft to that of the inlet pipe as to bring these heavier parts not above a line extending from the renovator to the handle. In this way it will be seen that the center of gravity of motor and fan casing which form the heaviest parts of the cleaner, is below the line connecting the two points of support,

not swing around and interfere with the operation of the cleaner. I have therefore made the use of such joint possible in a cleaner of this class, and secured the useful results which I have described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a machine of the class described, the combination of the vacuum producing parts,

a shaft connected thereto and formed with a handle at its end, an inlet pipe connected namely the handle 1, and the renovator 7, so that in spite of the swivel joint, the parts always remain in stable equilibrium, and do 

